


Will the Circle be Unbroken?

by ardett



Series: The Five Year Gap [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Allusions to Iron Lad, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Gen, Light Angst, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Mid-Credits Scene Compliant, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Sort Of, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 05:40:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20353288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ardett/pseuds/ardett
Summary: Harley, Peter, and Pepper discuss Tony's legacy.





	Will the Circle be Unbroken?

**Author's Note:**

> what you need to know from the other two parts of the series: Peter and Harley met at Tony's funeral and Peter wants Harley to become the next Iron Man
> 
> title [x](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F1l6xXLSI0)

_ Harley, _

_ Please come to the compound. There’s something we need to talk about. _

_P. Potts_

Harley hates New York but here he is again. He used to think it was the coolest place in the world, home of the empire city and the Statue of Liberty and Tony Stark. But even with half the population restored, it feels emptier.

When he knocks on the door of the compound, it’s Peter Parker who answers the door.

“Parker?” Harley narrows his eyes.

“Come on.” Peter grabs his arms and pulls him inside. “I have to show you something.”

“What? No. What are you even doing here?”

“Peter? Who is that?” Pepper’s voice carries down the hall. Peter stiffens a moment before she turns the corner. “Harley?” she asks. “Why are you…” 

“I invited him here.” Peter doesn’t waver as he meets Pepper’s stare.

“Did you lie to me?” Harley demands.

“I mean, it’s not like I lied to your face so--”

“Peter,” Pepper grits. “We already discussed this. Our decision--”

“No, your decision,” Peter interrupts. He turns to Harley. “Tony left you something in his will.”

Harley’s breath catches in his throat. “He did?”

“And we were going to give it to you at the right time.” Pepper glares at Peter. Peter glares right back.

“Now is the right time. The world needs Iron Man.”

“The world got Iron Man and then the world killed him.”

Harley flinches at her words. Pepper glances over at him. She takes a deep breath, pinching at the bridge of her nose.

“Well, since you came out all this way, I suppose it’s too late now.”

She starts walking down to the lower floors where Tony’s lab is housed. Harley hesitates until Peter gestures for him to follow.

Harley doesn’t have time to marvel at the inside of Tony’s lab. Instead, he’s focused on the glowing box Pepper reveals as she pulls off a sheet. 

“Here, Harley.” Peter pops off the lid. “Reach in.”

“Reach in? Reach in for what? Why am I--”

“Just do it, man.”

Harley reaches out a finger and nanites crawl up his forearm. They almost tickle. They don’t feel like bugs, not like Harley thought they would. It feels like the ebb and flow of a stream running over his skin.

Pepper looks away. Harley hears Peter’s sharp inhale.

The nanites coalesce into a gauntlet, settling into familiar colors of red and gold. The patterns are beautiful. Delicate curves follow his muscles and veins. When he flips his hand, blue neon light bathes his features.

“Suits you,” Peter whispers. His voice is strained.

Harley stares at the technology. “He really left this to me?” he breathes.

“He did.” Pepper’s gaze turns back to them. Her expression is pained. “But he didn’t want you to have it.”

Harley looks to her wide-eyed. “What? What does that mean?”

Pepper’s voice hardens, grows more certain. “He didn’t want this life for you. He didn’t die so you could follow in his footsteps.” She looks at Peter. “He knew he couldn’t stop you. That’s the only reason he gave you the suit and he blamed himself for it everyday. And Harley… This is not what he wanted you to become.” 

Harley is hardly aware of the nanites slinking off his arm. He thinks of the little girl he saw holding Pepper’s hand at the funeral. How she might want to follow in her father’s footsteps one day too.

“It’s not about what Mr. Stark would have wanted,” Peter argues. “Someone has to take his place. And Harley can. So… So he has to! He has a responsibility to make sure Mr. Stark’s legacy doesn’t--”

“His legacy is the two of you!” Pepper’s face flushes as she yells. “He won’t be there anymore to help you when you get hurt. Do you think he died so you could protect everyone? Why do you think he sacrificed himself? Look at me, Peter. Why do you think he did it?”

“To bring everyone back!” Peter slams his fist down on one of the lab table and the metal distends.

“Jesus--” Harley stumbles backwards and nanties swarm his body, forming a shield in front of him. “Calm down--”

“No, Peter, no,” Pepper’s voice drops. “He did it for you. That’s why he did it. So he could bring you back. So you could live.” Her hand reaches up to touch Peter’s cheek. “So he could be free of guilt of watching you die. And now he left me here to watch it instead.”

She backs away. Peter doesn’t stop her.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Potts. This is what I have to do.” Peter turns to Harley. “Harley, you don’t have to do this. You can leave right now. That’s your choice. But there are people out there who need us. Tony left you his suits for a reason.”

Harley knows what he has to do. But his reason is not as righteous as Peter’s. It’s a selfish reason.

He’s been lost since he blipped back. Purposeless. An aimless wanderer. Maybe Tony knew that Harley would need a mission if he returned, when he returned.

Harley loves his family. He always will but they’ve moved on. It’s time he does as well.

Using the nanties is as intuitive as breathing. Harley lets them cover him, slide over his clothes and caress his neck. He spares one thought to paying homage to Tony Stark’s memory and the armor shifts from red and gold to red and silver.

Miraculously, Pepper’s gaze softens. “You two are just like him, aren’t you? He couldn’t stay away from the fight either. And I couldn’t stop him.”

“I’ll try to make him proud,” Harley whispers.

“You already have.” Pepper wipes away the tears welling at the corners of her eyes. “And as much as it pains me to think about, I’m sure Morgan will want to be like her father too. I wish I could protect all of you but I know I won’t always be there. You’ll look out for each other, won’t you? Promise me.”

“I promise,” Peter says as he puts a hand on Harley’s shoulder.

“I promise,” Harley swears.

_ Will the circle be unbroken? _

_ By and by, by and by _

_ Is a better home awaiting? _

_ In the sky, in the sky _

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote and posted this in like, two days because I want to wrap this series up so forgive terrible quality


End file.
